This invention is generally directed to a system for recognizing people or objects, and has many applications as will be explained.
In accordance with one such application, the present invention is directed to determining the number of shopper units in a retail store, and the people that comprise those shopper units. By "shopper units" is meant those persons who are potential customers, i.e., may be expected to make purchases in the store. For example, it is not uncommon for a parent to shop with young children. The parent and children as a group would constitute a single shopper unit because the young children themselves would not be expected to make a purchase.
Knowing the number of shopper units in a store, in contrast to the number of people in the store, is valuable store management information. With selected criteria, such as height categories, the system of the present invention can count the persons as they enter and leave a store location, such as a doorway, measure the heights of the persons, and using selective criteria generate data for use in store management. For example, such data may include the number of shopper units in the store at selected time intervals. Also, using height criteria, the system will discriminate between persons and objects such as shopping carts or the like. For example, the system can be programmed to detect a shopping cart by measuring the height of the cart and recognizing the length of time that the system detects that height as the cart moves past the system detector. The system will also detect the direction of movement of the person along the person's path of travel at the store location, e.g., whether the person is entering or leaving the store. Hence, the system can determine the number of persons or shopper units in the store at any given time.
Systems or devices for counting people as they move past a location are known. Tsubota Patent No. 4,356,387 discloses a counting system for counting persons of a minimum height using a radiant energy emitter and a radiant energy receiver. The radiant energy is infrared. The system screens height by prefocusing the emitter and setting the emitter and detector angle so that the two intersect at some point in space in the portal. This permits screening out objects or persons shorter than the point of intersection to allow the counting of only those objects or persons that are above the selected height. However, it does not count or give height information on objects or persons below the selected threshold. Another problem with the device of the Tsubota patent is that each installation must be precisely aligned and carefully aimed so that the point of intersection of the emitter beam with the reception path of the receiver is at the desired minimum height above the floor.
Zepke Patent No. 4,799,243 discloses a person counting device by detecting the presence of thermal radiation from the body. It includes an infrared detector but no emitter. When a living object passes through a portal, it radiates infrared energy that is detected by the device, the device thereby detecting the presence of a person walking through the portal. The device of Zepke does not discriminate by or measure height.
Mizukami Patent No. 4,733,081 is directed to an apparatus for sensing a body by detecting the difference between the reflected amount of infrared rays directed to the body as against the background.
Shahbaz Patent No. 4,528,679 is directed to an automatic counting systems for passengers. The device is primarily for counting passengers entering or leaving a common carrier such a bus. The device comprises stations located at the steps of the bus where the stations include ultrasonic transducers. Ranging circuits each include a transmitting circuit for generating a pulse to be transmitted by each associated transducer, and receiving circuit for receiving and detecting the echo signal received through the transducer. A pulse count is generated that is directly proportional to the distance from the transducer to the object from which the echo has returned. The logic circuit operates to determine the presence or absence of a passenger under each station on the basis of a range distance measurement of less than a predetermined distance corresponding to the presence of a passenger of a height greater than a predetermined height. Hence, the system detects the number of passengers over a preselected height, but ignores all persons below the threshold height level.
Koelsch Patent No. 4,847,485 discloses an arrangement for determining the number of persons within a space using infrared sensors. The system does not include emitters or any means for determining the heights of the persons, or using that information to provide management data.
So while systems or devices for counting people or for counting people over a selected height were known, none of these systems provide the necessary height measurement for all persons passing through a selected location, and for using that information to generate data for use, such as by retail store managers, to evaluate store performance and the like. For example, such information may include the number of shopper units in the store during selected time intervals and the composition of the shopper units, i.e. adults and children. Knowing the number of children and adults in each shopper unit is useful to store management in evaluating and improving store performance.
The present invention is particularly directed to use in retail stores for generating information on the number of persons in the store at selected time intervals, the categories of those persons, and the way in which those categories relate to actual store performance. Obviously, the primary objective of any retail establishment is to maximize sales. This includes converting shoppers to actual customers. In other words, the objectives are to attract persons to the store, and once in the store convert them to customers. Hence, the shopper-to-customer "conversion rate" is the percentage of shoppers that actually make purchases.
For an accurate measure of conversion rate it is not enough to merely count persons as they enter and leave the store. This is because not all persons who enter the store are potential customers. As mentioned previously, many such persons may be young children who are unlikely to make any purchases themselves. Hence, it is important to distinguish between persons who are potential customers, and those that are not. This may be done using height criteria. The system of the present invention not only counts persons as they enter and leave a selected location, but also "measures" the heights of the persons or objects, generating height profiles of the persons or objects, and converts that information to the number of shopper units using height criteria.
Although it is important to identify the number of persons who are potential customers, it is also important to know the number of such persons who are not. Such information is useful for a wide variety of store evaluation purposes.
The system of the present invention performs its functions without interfering in any way with the store traffic, and without requiring any involvement of store personnel. It operates fully automatically without the shoppers even knowing of its existence. It generates highly reliable count information of in and out shopper flow. The optics module device may be mounted overhead such as above a doorway where the customers enter and leave the store. On wide doorways multiple optics modules may be used at selected spaced intervals to insure that all shoppers entering and leaving the store are detected. The information from the optics module is communicated to a central processing unit (CPU) which interprets the data from the optics module, such as determining the height category of the person and whether the person is entering or leaving the store. The data, in turn, may be transmitted to the store controller or in-store processor (ISP). Data from the system of the present invention is integrated with data from the store's point of sale (POS) system and other store computer management systems which provide number of sales (customers), dollar sales, times of sales, locations of sales, sales categories, labor hours, and so on. From this combined information numerous management reports may be generated to assist management in evaluating store performance. Using this information store management can identify problem areas and take corrective measures to improve store performance. Realistic performance goals can be established for each store taking into account the number of shopper units available to the store. The information may also be used to optimize staffing for greater service, increase conversion rates, and improve dollar volume per transaction.
From data generated from the system of this invention together with data from other store systems including the POS system, advertising and special event effectiveness may be evaluated. Controlled tests can be conducted in paired media markets to accurately measure the increased traffic created by individual ads, multi-media campaigns, sales events, or specific promotions. For example, it can be determined whether the advertising or special events delivered increased shopper units, and whether such increase in shopper units resulted in the expected increased sales. The system may be used to measure the impact of competitors' advertising on a store's performance, and data from the system may be used to assist in evaluating the impact of the store's appearance, layout, and merchandise presentation. Data from the system may be used in determining the effectiveness of in-store promotions as well as merchandise placement within the store. From this, the store management may determine whether the store is merchandising effectively or if a new department or service is generating interest. The optics module may be placed in sensitive areas of the store, such as the cash office, stockroom, or the like, to monitor traffic in those areas, alerting the management to unusual patterns of activity.
Most importantly, the system of the present invention when used with other store systems, such as the POS system, provides great versatility in generating information to increase store sales.
The invention of the present application has many other applications of which the following are examples.
The invention may be mounted at the doors of buses for counting the number of and logging the times that persons enter and leave the buses. This information may be used by the bus company for reconciling the number of passengers with the fares paid, and to verify whether the driver has charged the passengers the proper amounts for the distances over which each passenger traveled. The data may be used for many purposes including determining the volume of traffic entering and leaving the bus at each stop. The device may also be used in bus stations to count the number of people entering and leaving the station. In this way the number of people in the station at any given time is known so that bus scheduling may be arranged to minimize customer wait time in the terminal.
The device also may be used in connection with trains as with buses described above to determine the number of passengers that get on and off the train at each location. Such information may be used by the train company to insure that train capacity is sufficient to handle the number of people at each stop. The device provides means for reconciling the revenues with the number of passengers, and can be used in train stations as in bus stations described above.
The device may also be used to monitor traffic patterns (the flow of people) within airports. It can monitor the number and frequency of people entering and leaving a ticket line and determine the number of ticket agents required to minimize wait time. It may be used to monitor traffic within the airport at various locations for purposes of designing airport expansion and new airports to accommodate traffic flow.
There are numerous places where the device may be used to monitor traffic flow including banks, museums, libraries, government facilities, public buildings, theme parks, restaurants, manufacturing plants, and at specific locations within such facilities. It can be used in any application where it is important to obtain accurate information relating to the traffic flow of people or objects.
Another unique application for the present invention is as a security device. For example, security systems exist where coded cards are used to gain access to a secured area. A problem with such systems is the possibility for more than one person to gain access when a card is used. Visual monitoring systems are used, but these require that a guard continuously monitor the access. The device of the present invention may be used at the passageway to detect the number of persons entering the passageway. If more than one person enters, an appropriate alert may be generated. When used as a security device, the system of the present invention has the advantage of being self-monitoring. That is, the system continuously transmits and receives beams such that the signals are continuously generated indicating that the system is operational. The system measures a standard or reference condition, which may be the floor, when no person or object passes through a beam. This standard reference insures that the system is operating properly.
The system also may be used in applications for counting objects. It may be used with highways, bridges, or tunnels for counting the number of vehicles and for distinguishing the various types of vehicles, e.g., trucks from cars. It can measure the space between vehicles as well as determine the speed of each vehicle. The device may be used to monitor the traffic flow in each lane. The information is useful for traffic control, road and bridge maintenance, highway planning and construction, and traffic monitoring to give motorists alternate route information or route planning information. PG,11 Its speed detection capability may be used to enforce speed limits.
The present invention may be used in manufacturing and industrial process control such as for monitoring the flow of objects on an assembly line and detecting the profile of the objects and thereby provide a means for determining a compliance with known profile criteria. For example, the device may be used to detect whether items on an assembly line are properly oriented for automated assembly.
Because the device is nonintrusive, and has no moving parts, it is uniquely suited to measure the height or depth of liquid or other material in a tank, and from that information determine the volume of material in a tank.
The above examples are merely illustrative of the many applications of the system of the present invention.
Generally, the system of the present invention comprises one or more optics modules or sensors located at one or more selected locations. The number of optics modules at each location depends on the width of the entrance or exit. The module is located above the passageway. Each optics module has means for emitting beams toward persons or objects moving past a selected location to generate reflected beams from those persons or objects. The included angle of the emitted and reflected beams is a function of the height of the person or object. The optics module further includes means for detecting the reflected beams and generating signals representative of the included angle, and thus the height of the person or object. The system further includes means for determining the speed and length of the person or object and generates signals representing a time-dependent height profile of the person or object as the person or object moves past the sensor. These signals are transmitted to a signal processor, and from there to a central processing unit (CPU), which processes the signals and generates data representing the number of persons or objects in preselected categories. The emitted and reflected beams are infrared, and the detector is a position sensitive detector which generates a signal in response to the position that the reflected beam strikes the detector which is indicative of the height of the person or object from which the reflected beam is reflected.
Where multiple optics modules are used at a given location, or where optics modules are used at several locations, the signals from the optics modules may be multiplexed and all processed by a single signal processor and CPU.
In one embodiment of the invention, each optics module or sensor generates at least two emitter beams which are generated alternately, and where the emitted beams are generated from different locations along the path of movement of the person or object. The reflected beam is detected at a location along the path of movement that lies between the locations from which the emitted beams are generated. In this way a single detector may be used for each optics module rather than a plurality of detectors, and yet the direction of travel of each person or object may be detected. In another embodiment two detectors are used and alternative pairings of the emitters and detectors are provided for maximum resolution.
In one embodiment of the invention, the CPU also receives data from a store POS system, and may receive data from other store computer systems as well, and generates information from the combined data to assist store management in evaluating store performance. Such information may be stored or displayed on a suitable display device such as a CRT or printer.
These and other features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the drawings and description to follow.